Last May, my daughter started showing interest in using the potty. She liked reading stories about kids using the potty, she liked sitting on her chair. However, she wasn’t making any deposits. Several times a day, she would drag me to the bathroom and I’d pull her pants down so she could sit. And sit. And sit. She was missing a piece of the puzzle.
Then I got an idea, a wonderful, awful idea.
I am rather a small person and not well endowed in the buttocks region, so I lowered myself onto her little potty chair and peed. Then I showed her the results. Her little eyes widened and she smiled in comprehension. I dumped and rinsed the potty and she sat down and peed. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding!
Obviously, for you J-Lo types, this approach is not practical. And, of course, some of you will just think I’m looney. However, the lesson here is that sometimes little ones need to see how something works, as their language skills just aren’t at a place where a verbal explanation is going to help. In such cases, show, don’t tell. It’s just crazy enough to work.